Unwanted pests carry more than health and safety risks. This can easily create many disagreements between tenants and landlords about who is responsible for dealing with the problem. If your rental home has formed a pest problem after you moved in, you may have to take immediate action. There are many reasons why renters may hesitate to take care of it. This often makes the problem worse. As a renter, you must recognize that the scope of your responsibility includes pest control. You must also be familiar with some ways to prevent your Jefferson rental home from developing a pest problem.
Understanding if it is your responsibility as a tenant to pay for pest control likely depends on your lease and/or whether your actions are the cause for the infestation. There are many different types of pests that can invade a rental home. Certain pests, including ants, cockroaches, and fleas, are often attracted to a home because it is not kept clean enough. If bags of garbage are left sitting or uncovered food is stored in the home, ants, and cockroaches are going to be attracted to these kinds of conditions. Such insects thrive in environments with a plentiful food source and love to eat garbage and crumbs. Skunks, mice, rats, raccoons, and other animals are also strongly attracted by garbage left uncovered outside and can create havoc in a very short amount of time. If you have a dog or other pet living with you, it could be bringing fleas inside the house. Fleas carry diseases and can quickly infest every corner of a home.
As described above, it is often the actions of the tenant’s behavior that caused the pests to be invited into the rental home. Because of this, under the terms of most leases, the renter is made responsible for paying to remove the unwanted pests. Keep in mind that if your rental home has a moisture problem that you didn’t mention to the owner, you could find yourself responsible for the pests that are attracted to such conditions as well. In most incidents, a professional exterminator will be requested to find out whether or not your living conditions caused the pest problem. You may be required to pay for any and all required pest removal services if their findings support such a conclusion.
The most helpful thing that a renter can do is to be proactive about their rental home maintenance. Keeping the rental home pest-free is possible with the many options available to renters nowadays. Keeping the home’s cleanliness, both inside and out, is possibly the most reliable way to prevent unwanted pests. Keeping garbage and food (both human and pet) in containers with tight lids and disposing of any trash right away is another important strategy for outdoor pests.
Now, for pests that want to be indoors, the most effective way to keep them out is to see to it that the food is tightly sealed and properly stored in the refrigerator or pantry and that crumbs are swept up daily. For renters with pets, keeping your animal clean is the best way to avoid a flea infestation and all the problems that come with it. Thankfully, there are numerous kinds of flea prevention products on the market nowadays that are effective in areas highly prone to fleas and ticks. By acting immediately, you can avert the expense and inconvenience of paying for pest extermination on your rental property.
Are you on the lookout for a Jefferson rental home? Check out our available rentals and call us at 706-864-5456 for more information.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
